Fantastic Four: Franklin and Valeria are Teenagers (And It's About Time)

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Fantastic Four #2 by Dan Slott, Sara Pichelli and Esad Ribic, on sale now.

Fantastic Four #2 fills in some gaps that were left open-ended at the climax of Secret Wars, particularly where the Future Foundation has been. One of the best details about their travels actually tweaks the entire premise of the book, revealing it’s been years for them since they left. As a result, Franklin and Valeria are noticeably older, now distinctly teenagers.

Franklin and Valeria Richards actually getting to grow older is a huge step forward for the Fantastic Four as a whole, and solidifies the commitment Marvel has made to create a real sense of legacy.

Fantastic Four (+2)

After being introduced in Fantastic Four Annual #5 all the way back in 1968, Franklin Richards has been pretty much locked in kid mode. His innocent, childish nature and massive potential have been mined a lot over the years, but these qualities also kept him from aging beyond the point of “cute kid." As years (and arguably decades) passed for other characters, Franklin remained the young son of Marvel’s First Family.

Even accounting for the sliding timescale of superhero comics (Spider-Man in particular has a habit of taking two steps forward and then three steps back with his age), Franklin remaining so young for so long was a noticeable bit of canon confusion. Even the Power Pack, who were just as young as him when they were first introduced, were allowed to grow older while Franklin was stuck at 11 years old, max. And it’s just brushed aside, even when Alex and Franklin share a comic now.

Valeria wasn’t introduced until 1999 and has remained a little girl for, at this point, almost 20 years. But her presence in the comics did have a positive effect on Franklin that pushed him forward as a character. Valeria's debut added the fun wrinkle of making Franklin the big brother to a little sister who was way smarter than him. It opened up new ways for the Fantastic Four to explore family dynamics, with each child having a different relationship with each parent and mentor.

The bond that’s formed between the two has been endearing, bonkers and surprisingly realistic in the way only the best Fantastic Four stories can be. It’s also a relationship we’ve seen the end result of. In Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four run, the book ends on a hopeful and happy moment of sibling comradery between their eventual immortal forms. And now, we get to see more growth towards that.

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Family Forever

The Fantastic Four were initially designed as a group of superheroes with a real-life connection. Fans could see their own lives in the “mundane poking into the epic” feeling that is the Marvel Universe. The Fantastic Four and their personal dramas all come from a deep place of love for one another. They’re a family. The franchise has always been at its strongest when it realizes that and runs with it.

But just as the Marvel Universe has grown to reflect things like legacy (look at the Champions taking on the names of their predecessors instead of just being associated with them), this strange little corner of the universe needs to grow up a bit, too. It strengthens their connection to the rest of the Marvel Universe; always a perk of the shared continuity. Plus, it offers a whole new world of stories for the family to explore. Just look at how much comes out when Val finds her very own Namor to check out.

Fantastic Four Vol. 6 #2 Slott/Pichelli)

It’s hilarious. Val's coy smile and hair twirl, the limitless power of Franklin being grossed out, Reed’s horrified dad reaction when he realizes what’s happening and Sue’s silent appreciation of it all make the moment a delightful scene of this family actually feeling like a real family.

It lets Slott showcase sides of the cast that we haven’t got to see. Valeria, now with the codename Brainstorm, is acting more on emotion than ever before. Franklin has a youthful confidence befitting his new codename, Powerhouse. Reed has a completely in-character dumb dad moment. It makes sense to reflect the changing universe and show how the first super-powered family handles their sweet kids growing into teenagers. It allows creators to refine new aspects and shades of well-tread characters, and actually get to do something new with them.

Imagine what’ll happen when the cool uncles get involved? Johnny being overprotective and shooting flames at Valeria's suitors, Ben trying to teach Franklin how to fight so he can stand up without his powers. Wait until Franklin runs into Spider-Man again, or what happens when Valeria hears about the lapsed redemption of Victor von Doom.

Making the pair teenagers opens up an entire world of possibilities for the Marvel Universe and brings the Fantastic Four more in line with the growing concept of legacy at Marvel -- and it's about damn time.